The A List: The Brothers Lochamy

Will and Reed Lochamy are the brothers behind “Oh Brother Radio.”

Written by Lindsey Lowe Osborne • Photography by Beau Gustafson

They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree—luckily for Birmingham, that was the case for Will and Reed Lochamy, hosts of Birmingham Mountain Radio’s “Oh Brother Radio” show. They were first acclimated to radio via their father, Bob, who was Paul Finebaum’s (host of the Paul Finebaum Show) longtime partner. “It’s just something that was always around us,” Will explains. In 2006, the two began tossing around ideas for hosting their own radio show; when they couldn’t get a spot on a local network, they created a daily 10-minute podcast, called “Oh Brother Radio,” that they produced out of Reed’s basement. In 2010, the duo partnered with Birmingham Mountain Radio to produce a live radio show.

The show gained in popularity, both on the air and in the studio—people were always just showing up to watch. That phenomenon gave them an idea: a live stage show. When Iron City opened in 2013, they knew they had found their venue. “It was a good fit for us, as our show had taken on a community-based quality that seemed to lend itself well to having lots of guests (who often had lots of friends who wanted to be there to see the show). We also tended to have musical guests on the show on a regular basis, and the live audience set-up was perfect for that as well,” Reed explains. Now, the show is a two-hour production broadcast live every Thursday night from 7–9 p.m. “Theater of the mind is a ton of fun. We use our real names, obviously, but we are playing characters in a way,” Will says. “We cover anything and are rarely serious.”

“Oh Brother’s a lighthearted, entertaining look at what’s going on in Birmingham from week to week. And sometimes there’s live music,” adds Reed, who is also a seventh grade language arts teacher at Simmons Middle School.

In addition to “Oh Brother Radio,” you may have also seen them as hosts of The Iron Bowl Hour, a half-hour comedy show that aired on Alabama Public Television for three seasons. It recently ended to free them up for their newest venture: bringing the Lochamy Brothers to ESPN’s The SEC Network. Currently, they join Paul Finebaum (yes, bringing things completely full circle) as commentators. “The ESPN stuff is pretty insane. For one, we love college football. The fact that anyone would pay us to watch it and talk about it is ridiculous,” Will says. “The satirical approach that we are taking is new to the sports analyst world, so watching the response (especially on Twitter) has been fun, to say the least.”

One thing’s for sure: One Lochamy is great, but the two together is a goldmine of hilarity and good times for all. “People tell me this is unusual, but we really do work well together,” Will says. “The structure of our business partnership just came together naturally. I seem to have big goals and ideas, while also having the fight to make them happen. He’s smarter (nerdier) and more creative, so he’s the head writer. It’s a good balance.” Reed echoes that sentiment: “Chemistry has been something we’ve always been able to rely on—the benefit, I suppose, of knowing someone for a solid 28 years or so before starting to work with them on something that requires communication and timing.”

If the Lochamy brothers aren’t a part of your life, change that by checking out “Oh Brother Radio” on Thursday nights from 7 to 9 p.m. (the show is free and open to the public and broadcast on Birmingham Mountain Radio) or as contributors to the Paul Finebaum Show, which airs on the SEC Network Monday–Friday, 2–6 p.m.